This is a blog about fly fishing for Carp. Well, kind of... I can’t catch Carp on the fly all year long so it’s also about fly fishing for anything that will take a fly. Mixed in are thoughts on fishing, thoughts on life, fly tying, some cool pictures, and a bit of humor here and there.

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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Wild Thing: A Better San Juan Worm

I'm excited for the Carp Lodge, I mean summer home, to be completed. Part of that of course is to spend time there with Katy. Part of that excitement is also for the weather to be warm and to go fishing for Carp. Hell yes!

Having worked virtually seven days a week for the last three and a half months I have not tied as many flies as I was planning. When you are in sales you have to work when you have work. I have had a lot of work and I'm very grateful.

The San Juan Worm is definitely one of the "go to" Carp flies. I would think that would be true pretty much everywhere but I don't fish everywhere, I fish in the Pacific Northwest and here, it is a Carp staple to be sure. I feel it is particularly effective when a Carp has his nose down and is working hard in the mud. If they see the worm in the silt cloud there is as good a chance that they will pick up the SJW as any fly out there.

The San Juan Worm is such a simple fly. Could there possibly be a simpler fly? I think the majority if not all effective Carp flies are simple patterns.

I have experimented some with rubber band bodies for some different flies through the years. I have tried a few different kinds, widths, and colors of rubber bands. For the record, if any of you want my blue rubber bands you are more than welcome to them. (I may have already thrown them away.) I'm keeping the black ones and the red ones.

The San Juan Worm wasn't a fly that I have actually fished that much at least not until I started Carp Fishing. I fish lots of Chironomids and Blood Worms but they are not tied like the San Juan Worm. Its okay, and in some cases important, to say that a fly is just fine the way it is. Blogging and fishing forums have made "improved" versions of flies common but often they are not an improvement at all.

Mindful of that I think that The Wild Thing is an improvement over the San Juan Worm but I really feel it needs lots more field testing for me to be sure. I made a blog post about The Wild Thing last spring but didn't say any more about it throughout the season. It certainly is a more durable worm imitation than the San Juan Worm. The other thing I like is that it is always three dimensional. By that I mean that no matter how it lands part of it always sticks up. I think that makes it easier for Carp to see. Some Carp have been tricked by it but I need a few days this spring where I see lots and lots of Carp pick it up. I'm anxious for the grand opening of The Carp Lodge. I'm anxious to really press this pattern into extensive service and I'm anxious for the guys I fish with to try it. I'm also anxious for some people who I exchange flies with in other parts of the country to give it a try for Carp on their home waters. I know Carp like The Wild Thing but I want to be able to say they LOOOOOOVVVE The Wild Thing.

3 comments:

As always Mr P, Great Read! I just got into tying my own flys a month or so ago and So far I am Hooked! I just leaned how to tie the San Juan Worm As I posted on my Blog ( http://hillbillybonez.com/home/?p=445 ). My Question is, is it the shape of the worm that catches the carps eye or is it the color or is it a mix of the Presentation and so forth?

Thanks Eric; glad you enjoy my blog. Way to go that you started tying flies. Its addictive in its own way. In the winter I find it particularly enjoyable.

Shape, color, presentation, or a mix?... Great questions. The answer is more complex than just saying it is presentation. It is in fact primarily presentation but there is still a lot more to it than that. I will make a more complete blog post and give some answers to your questions.

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About Me

I am a lifelong Washington State resident. I have been a licensed real estate agent since 1971. I have had the privilege of being a teacher since 1973. I taught Marketing and was the DECA Advisor at Marysville-Pilchuck High School from 1975-2009. I also taught Principles of Marketing through Everett Com. College.
My wife, Katy, and I have been happily married since 1977. I am more madly in love today than I ever knew I could be. We enjoy the Pacific Northwest. We hike, kayak, and snowshoe. We also enjoy reading and writing, heck part of the time it rains here you know.
My earliest memory is fishing with my dad when I was four years old; fishing is in my blood. I fly fish avidly and release all my fish. I have caught many species of trout, four species of Pacific Salmon, Atlantic Salmon, Largemouth Bass, and Smallmouth Bass. My favorite species to fly fish for is Carp. Yes, Carp. They are smart, big, strong, wary, and in so many ways the world’s greatest sport fish.
I serve as the National Fly Fishing Director for the Carp Anglers Group. I am the Fly Fishing Editor for North American Carp Angler magazine and I write a column called The Last Cast.